960 yard Muzzloader kill

[7mmfreak]

It worked out but I don't think that POI was intended.

[1gifford]

That must be a serious rangefinder to see a small buck at 960 yards! What kind were you guys using?

[sniperjwt]

Nov 24, 2014 0:57:06 GMT -5 1gifford said:

That must be a serious rangefinder to see a small buck at 960 yards! What kind were you guys using?

The range finder he has is a Leica 1600 however the deer was at a known distance

7mmfreak- obviously the point of impact is supposed to be where you aim but at almost 1000 yards that's not always practical especially with a muzzleloader however hitting 6" from point of aim is within an acceptable range

[charles]

I would say Awesome shot Dead Deer !

[cowhunter]

They probably don't keep records for good reasons, but is this a record for any deer kill?

[jims]

That certainly is a long shot especially for a muzzleloader but I thought I recalled a longer shot on an antelope being farther but that may have been with a centerfire.

[mtj555]

Nice shot but 6 inches the other direction and it would be a wounded deer

[bigmoose]

Amazing that you folks think this was an ethical action.

Sportsmanship must have a new meaning

Marty

[Deleted]

I know guys that call it good if they can hit within 6" of where they aim at 100 yds with a slug gun. I think that a lot of work and definitely some luck went into this shot but we can't argue with the end result, deer dead on the spot no suffering. Sure things could have gone badly but that's a possibility at any range.

I thought a shot like this was what all of us work towards, Earnhardt is setting a blazing pace for the long range and I would imagine he is or very soon will be capable of a shot much like this. Who's to say that others aren't practicing similar distances and frequency as Earnhardt has been??

[wilmsmeyer]

In general, this is an irresponsible shot with this gun in my opinion. But it worked out. Any miss by 6" in almost any other direction would have been a wounded animal. People who are exceptional shots that test their limits are just as likely to wound as the guy who empties his gun at a full out running deer at 100 yds.

I often wonder the mindset of making those epic shots. Is it about getting some meat for the freezer or is it about bragging rights or self satisfaction to apply what was learned on a target to a living breathing animal? I believe that an animal that gives us the privilege to hunt, to kill and consume it deserves a high percentage clean kill. Period. I'm not sure 960 yds in any conditions guarantees that. Would someone who attempts these shots and misses or wounds even make a post? Probably not.

We can all have our opinions here and this is mine. No disrespect meant just things to think about as we hunt animals that do not deserve to die from a wound that didn't have to be. Have coyotes kill it by eating their way from the anus into the guts.

[edge]

For those that claim unethical or something:

First, this is Doug's and flames are not tolerated!
Second, have you never recovered an animal you shot or had friends that have...have you told then they were unethical or claimed to be unethical yourself?
Third, perhaps it is me, but ethics are a personal decision!
Fourth, nobody says you need to respond to every thread, and I was taught that if you don't having something nice to say to keep quiet!

Personally, I have made bad hits at under thirty yards with a bow. I have looked for days and they were lost and probably died.
Does that mean that I can't bowhunt? Maybe you say no, but I say go where the devil resides.
I practice a lot, and of the hundreds of deer that I have shot I have recovered almost all.
Yes I regret those not recovered but I never shoot unless I am very confident of the shot and if the deer moves or I plain screw up it goes on me.

I bet there are plenty of shotgunners that do not score on every goose, duck, rabbit they shoot at but I sure am not one to say that their shots are unethical...especially on the shots that they connect on!!!

Some act as though he shot 10 times and hit him 3 times and finally gave the coup de gras after an hour of tracking!

Tens of thousands die every year due to drunk driving, have you never had a drink and driven?

Hey I screw up 10 times before I get out of bed in the morning, but I am not going to tell someone how or what to hunt with!

Let he without sin cast the first stone... anyone?

edge.

[hankinsrfls]

Well here's my opinion... If the hunter wants to take that shot and feels good about doing it then it is his shot to take. I am happy he was able to pull it off and the deer is dead. Had the bullet went 6 inches in the other direction the deer would still be dead and probably recovered it also. 960 yards is 230 yards farther than I have ever shot a killed a deer, wish I could pop a few rounds at 960 and would if I had that distance. Guys that have these places to hunt and shoot those distances on a regular basis make long range shooting easy. The most important part is knowing your gun, the ballistics and the target. This guy might just have this field tattooed on the back of his eye lids. Knows it like a book. He already knew the distance, didn't even need a range finder. I am proud of the guy for doing it. So what if he missed or didn't find the deer, how many of us has never shot a deer and couldn't find it. I shot one yesterday morning, (Head shot) dropped it dead in its tracks. I wanted this doe for the back straps and some jerky meat and it was our last day of gun season.... I loaded the deer on the side by side and headed out, then loaded the side by side on the trailer and hooked it up to the truck. Started my one hour drive to my house and got 3 miles down the road when my transmission in my truck went out. this was at 11:30 am. called a friend to come get me and he did, but buy the time he got home, hooked up his trailer drove an hour to get me, loaded my truck, took the side by side back to the hunting farm and drug my DODGE home it was 6:00 and the deer was ruined and I was too darn tired to cut it up anyway and at 50 degrees all day and night I knew it wouldn't keep so I tossed it out on the back side of the farm for the coyotes to eat. So you see even when we make good ethical shots, some times things happen beyond our control and we loose a deer.

And this guy has a rifle that shoots .6 MOA..... to 1000 yards... don't you all wish you had a rifle that could do that...?

Jeff.

[Deleted]

I'll comfortably shoot deer all day long at 200 yards plus with a slug gun, with the proper conditions and many call that unethical. So to each his own I guess. There will always be what if's or could a would a beens.
I think this gent did his homework and was prepared and confident in his setup and abilities, and made it work. Props for that. This same debate goes on within every shooting sport and opinions will vary... it's just the way it is and the way it will be. This is just mine...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using proboards

[rambler]

Here's my stone to cast. I can say with absolute certainty that I have never used a game animal for target practice. They call it target shooting because you shoot at targets for practice. Hunting and killing game is what you do after you've practiced.

I think myself and others wonder if this was hunting for meat and/or a mount or just to see if it could be done.

The man had every right to do it, just something I personally wouldn't do much less brag on it.

[ping]

I think it deserves a little bragging. Those that don't either know they could never do it or are jealous that someone else did...

There's a lot of guys that cant connect at 50 yards so give this guy a brake. He abviously did his homework and has top notch equipment so he deserves to brag a little.. Good job to him...

[markb317]

Well put edge
With practice at longrange comes the knowledge and confidence to make shoots at these ranges.When I first heard about shooting 600yds and hitting what I was aiming at would be hard but now hitting clay birds has become pretty easy because of practice.
The guns we have now with range time to get the practice and actual drop and windage readings there will be more animals taken where the settings allow.
I was at the range on Saturday with two buddies one of which just put his 45 together. We sized some 310APB's and he sighted it at 100yds then worked out to 700yds. When we got to 600yds we shot one shot each at the steel plate and were all 3 about 4" from the center then reloaded and shot one shot at a clay throwing bird one of us hit the other two missed by no more than a inch or two. The buddy with the new gun dialed for 700 and hit first round.This was his first time shooting a SML'er but with years of long range experience.
So I say very nice shot...

[bigmoose]

I expressed my opinion, my opinion only

other folks have different opinions, whats the harm in that.

When I was 11 years old I was doing trick shots with a 22.
At 13 my father bought me an iron sighted Marlin 35 Rem.that I could hunt deer with. at deer hunting camp they had gun rack on the front porch, folks coming in from the field would put up their rifle, and talk about the days hunt, I would hang out to listen to the stories, one of the gents called out the was a deer running across from the lodge, I grabbed my rifle put a bullet in it lead the buck and shot. The buck piled up dead, my father hearing the shot came out of the lodge, ever body was shaking my hand telling my what a great shot I just made. it turned out to be 370 long paces, deer was running wide open, after the deer was hung we went into lodge up to our room, my dad told me how disappointed he was in me. so the next year I would stay home and think about what I did, It wasn't till one month before next hunt, he told me I go on the hunt. The was 67 years ago and I never took a questional shot since.
But its to each hunter to deside what he thinks is right.

[wilmsmeyer]

Everyone has their own moral standard. We all hunt the same animals. Deer, goose, ducks and chucks. I guess if a .22 rim fire has a lethal range of 1 1/2 miles (like the box says) we should be fine trying for head shots at 2500 yds...if we know the distance...if we have no wind. Heck, it's still lethal!! It's your own choice to test the waters and not be judged. It's your right. Go do it and be damned anyone who questions your standard. Do it with no clothes on and express yourself.

Did not think for a moment that my post was a "flame".....just an opinion. When an opinion becomes a flame then we become like the political landscape we find ourselves in now. Don't like Obama? Well then you are a racist.

[hankinsrfls]

Big moose... That's a great story of your childhood.. Almost makes me cry... No kidding.. The things we remember and what it carves us into... Jeff.

[bigmoose]

Jeff,

We all live by our own standards, we are each different.
Some folks think jacklighting deer is no big deal, others think its a crime...it is
I don't want or need folks to agree or disagree with me, but I wll express my beliefs' I have great respect for Edge, so this is my last words on this...no flame, no even a spark.

[sniperjwt]

For those of you that think Ronnie did this for bragging rights I will tell you this. Other than family and a couple close friends he has not told hardly anybody. He did not take to social media and tell the world. He did not get on this or any other forum and start bragging. He did not call everybody on his contacts list and tell them. I can tell you that I have done the above because I believe that all of his effort over the past couple years getting ready to make this shot and then being able to execute when the time come is praiseworthy. I am trying my best to talk him into doing a video where he explains what happened that day and how he got to the point of confidently making a kill at this distance but I am meeting some resistance. If he was wanting to brag he would jump on the idea of doing the video.
I have no doubt that if tomorrow another deer walked out at that distance and he had his smokeless muzzleloader in hand that there would be another dead deer.

[wilmsmeyer]

Sniperjwt,

Sometimes the immediate reaction to such a long shot is celebration, congrats....the wow factor. I even had that reaction. It was a GREAT shot. Just don't understand the ambition to subject a game animal to a shot that long. Seems like anyone could get closer. In this case the shooter prepared to do this on purpose. To satisfy a desire. I tend to move posts that seem to be in wrong forum. There was a reason I chose not to move it to the "smokeless success" section.

Nothing illegal. Haven't seen a true flame here. Just opinions on ethics. There is validity on both sides.

[deadeye]

does anyone recall with a low bc bullet such as a 300gn xtp @ 2600 fps move with a mere 10 mph 90 degree crosswind @ 200yds that I bet over 95% of hunters fail to compensate for???

just something to chew on for t-day!

[7mmfreak]

Nov 25, 2014 8:58:09 GMT -5 deadeye said:

does anyone recall with a low bc bullet such as a 300gn xtp @ 2600 fps move with a mere 10 mph 90 degree crosswind @ 200yds that I bet over 95% of hunters fail to compensate for???

just something to chew on for t-day!

No doubt. Wind is a killer and always the hard part no matter how good you are. It only gets worse as you go long which you well know, Jeff. If you spend much time around hunters most are pretty underwhelming when it comes to marksmanship. Honestly, I would like to see the States go to a shooting exam like the NWR Archery hunts or like the Scandinavian countries do.

[superkirby]

I think a lot of it is the wow factor. To me a 960 yard muzzleloader kill seems so far beyond the realm of possibility for something I could accomplish that it's just plain not possible for ME. And people automatically assume that if it's not something they could do, nobody else should either. Then you have people like Mr. Hankins that maybe haven't shot 960 yards, but close. An extra couple hundred yards for him, while farther than he's shot so far, is very doable. So it's not impossible in his mind at all.
To me, 960 yards isn't something I can even practice, and if it was, I don't know that I would want to. But I'm not the gentleman that made the shot. His interests are long range. I imagine a thousand yard shot is something he's made on target a whole bunch of times before. I find it hard to believe that his farthest shot prior to this was 500 yards, but a 960 yard shot presented itself so he figure "What the heck" and got lucky. So I say congratulations on what I assume was a responsibly taken shot.

[edge]

I know plenty of people that shoot traditional archery and their max shot is probably 20 yards and poo poo compound and crossbows!
I know many Daniel Boone types that believe that muzzleloaders should be flintlocks and only shoot real BP!

I bet many of them would consider us here unethical, IMO there is enough room for everyone to hunt the way they choose.
I have trailed too many animals for much too long to take a shot that I am not pretty confident in making a clean kill.
I also have friends that rifle shoot deer in the neck with their 220 Swift, and some here take head shots.
IMO, animals move around too much for ME as I take too long to set up a pull the trigger...but that is me and has little to do with ethics, it is just what I am comfortable doing.

Some folks varmint shoot and leave their kill to the scavengers, is that unethical?
If you shoot at a squirrel and it doesn't fall out of the tree do you climb the tree to see if it died up there?

IMO, ethics are yours and yours alone just like your religion.
You can go to church everyday or not believe in a God at all, that is your business alone.

If you think the shooter in any story does not understand the limitations of his equipment then you should offer your insights, but IMO not in a demeaning manner.

edge.

[Mid_Tn_Plowboy]

Good insight. I've missed on routine shots as well as long ones. The funny thing was I would have never shot if I didn't think I had done my part. He pulled off an incredible shot. Congrats

[rambler]

Nov 25, 2014 5:55:08 GMT -5 sniperjwt said:

For those of you that think Ronnie did this for bragging rights I will tell you this. Other than family and a couple close friends he has not told hardly anybody. He did not take to social media and tell the world. He did not get on this or any other forum and start bragging. He did not call everybody on his contacts list and tell them. I can tell you that I have done the above because I believe that all of his effort over the past couple years getting ready to make this shot and then being able to execute when the time come is praiseworthy. I am trying my best to talk him into doing a video where he explains what happened that day and how he got to the point of confidently making a kill at this distance but I am meeting some resistance. If he was wanting to brag he would jump on the idea of doing the video.
I have no doubt that if tomorrow another deer walked out at that distance and he had his smokeless muzzleloader in hand that there would be another dead deer.

sniperjwt:   I don't think, and I speak for myself, that your friend Ronnie is a braggart.    That shot was and is a fantastic feat, no question about it.

I was privy to the voice msg that Ronnie left for Bob Parker detailing the shot proclaiming, and I quote, "this should be a world record."

960 yards is just phenomenal to say the least.

I have a question tho,  If the shot is a world record does that make the MZ he used the world's most accurate or is it just the shooter and the relentless pursuit of precision?? 

[dpoor65]

Some other things to consider, with the given ballistics it took that bullet just short of 2 full seconds to reach 960 yards. (About 1.7 seconds) and if an animal decides to take a step at the time of trigger pull then where would that POI be?..... Deadeye eluded to wind drift and I know there was a dead wind proclaimed but a 1 mph cross wind pushes it 12 inches.... Just saying there were and are A LOT of variables to calculate and overcome to make that shot...

[edge]

Nov 26, 2014 1:06:08 GMT -5 dpoor65 said:

Some other things to consider, with the given ballistics it took that bullet just short of 2 full seconds to reach 960 yards. (About 1.7 seconds) and if an animal decides to take a step at the time of trigger pull then where would that POI be?..... Deadeye eluded to wind drift and I know there was a dead wind proclaimed but a 1 mph cross wind pushes it 12 inches.... Just saying there were and are A LOT of variables to calculate and overcome to make that shot...

OK, other things to consider:

A deer can drop about 1 foot in 1/10 second at the sound of a bowstring;
An arrow @ 300 fps will take more than 0.15 seconds to reach a deer at 15 yards;
The sound of the bow will reach that same deer in 0.04 seconds;
If that same deer decides to walk at the instant you release the arrow it will move about 5 inches for every mph it is moving.
( men walk at around 3 mph, woman clocked near jewelry stores seem to not move at all )

edge.